Every fourth German welcomes extension of car sharing offers

09.02.2019: Forsa study on mobility and environmental challenges in the city
The study's facts at a glance
A large proportion of Germany is environmentally aware and is in favour of more local public transport and a stronger car

Forsa study on mobility and environmental challenges in the city

The study's facts at a glance

A large proportion of Germany is environmentally aware and is in favour of more local public transport and a stronger car sharing network. This has became apparent in a current Forsa study on behalf of smart. The representative survey on current mobility and environmental challenges in the city reveals the following: Every fourth person is in favour of extending the car sharing offering.

Above all in the area of private car sharing there is still room for improvement, because a privately owned car is used for an average of just 45 minutes per day, as shown in a mobility study carried out by the Federal Ministry of Transport in 2017. Sharing has to be simple and practical so that the car is not left standing around idly for much of the time. With the "ready to share" service smart is leading the field as a pioneer and it already offers a solution for safe and uncomplicated sharing.

25 million people live in German cities. And although living in the city is now "trendy" and the cities are booming, the inhabitants are confronted with numerous challenges – from the lack of parking spaces and affordable housing to local public transport and the general noise, hustle and bustle.

Against the background of these conflicting priorities, in close cooperation with the market research institute Forsa, smart is asking the following question regarding mobility and the environment: which measures are suitable for solving these challenges in the future?

"The majority of those surveyed want an environmentally friendly form of travel that puts the spotlight on the 'We', as well as a strong neighbourhood based on mutual respect and the willingness to share", says Katrin Adt, Head of smart. "And this is precisely what we are gearing our products and services to", Adt continues.

Every fourth German is in favour of extending the car sharing offering

The majority of those surveyed think that extending connections and frequency in local public transport (73%) and free bus and rail services (69%) is a good idea.

Every third person asked (36%) believes that electric mobility should be better promoted. And every fourth person (27%) regards car sharing as a prime candidate for extension. Driving bans in city centres reject 83 percent categorically. Those polled also see many advantages in organising car sharing via an app.

"Private car sharing and electric mobility long ceased being mere visions of the future. With "ready to share" we are making the sharing of privately owned cars really easy. From 2020, incidentally, the smart will only be available with electric drive, to make our cities quieter and cleaner.", Katrin Adt responds to the results.

Sharing has to be simple and practical

A privately owned car is certainly one of the key everyday helpers, be it for the daily commute to work or for running necessary errands. The willingness to share one's own vehicle is highest among couples: no less than 68 percent of drivers in a partnership already share their car with their partner. However, the less well people know each other the less willing they are to share their car. 41 percent of car owners can envisage sharing their own four wheels with relatives, and 36 percent would even share with their neighbour. Where strangers are concerned, the willingness to lend their vehicle is very low: for 92 percent of those surveyed here this is out of the question.

But when does people's willingness to share their own car increase? 75 percent of drivers are more prepared to share their car if there were an acute emergency and more than half if the person renting the car were to promise to handle it with care (62%).

Incidentally, every fourth respondent (26%) is of the opinion that their willingness to share would be higher if the handover were easy and practical, i.e. if it did not take too much time for either party.

Sharing your personal car easily with smart "ready to share"

Cars are only driven for an average of 45 minutes a day. In the age of the sharing economy it therefore makes sense to share your own car, too: with "ready to share", private car sharing via an app. Family members and friends invited to use the car can submit booking enquiries for the smart and locate and open the car via smartphone when the owner releases it. So handing over the key is no longer necessary. Since October 2018 "ready to share" has also been offering a payment function: via an app the user can determine a journey price per minute. This keeps the costs transparent and manageable.

The "ready to share" service from smart is private car sharing without handing over the key, without stress and always with full control. The smart service enables car owners who want to share their vehicles establish a private car sharing network quickly and easily, and thus also to share the pleasure of driving and costs as well as their own smart.

On the method of the study

The study was carried out between 22 and 28 November 2018 with the aid of forsa.omninet, a survey panel representative of the population. This is an online panel recruited via a multi-stage random procedure as part of the Forsa multi-topic surveys using computer-aided telephone interviews. 1200 people aged 18 and over were questioned, including 1025 car owners.

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